DARPA To Spend $70 Million Investigating Brain Implants

The ostensible purpose is to better treat mental illness, but I think we all know what the experimental research wing of the military’s real motives are. As reported by the Boston Globe:

The federal Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, known as DARPA, announced Thursday that it intended to spend more than $70 million over five years to jump to the next level of brain implants, either by improving deep brain stimulation or by developing new technology.

The new program, called Systems-Based Neurotechnology and Understanding for the Treatment of Neuropsychological Illnesses, is part of an Obama administration brain initiative that is intended to promote innovative basic neuroscience. Participants in the initiative include DARPA, the National Institutes of Health, and the National Science Foundation.

DARPA’s project is partly inspired by the needs of combat veterans who suffer from mental and physical conditions, and is the first to directly invest in researching human illness as part of the brain initiative.

With the way humanity is headed, this looks to be a booming new field.

Simon Valentine

money as the sand of the desert
bigger castles and deeper quick pools
it’s a forced march selling mana shares
it’s already a mind and brain equation
“70 million? that’s a cheap toy, son. human lives are invaluable, and that value goes more than two ways, just like what we’re dealing with here. it’s time to get Ill.”
“you mean my mcdonalds transformer has a social aspect? aaawh but daaad”

Cortacespedes

Lead by a researcher who moonlights as a “consultant” for the prosecution (and only the prosecution) in death penalty cases. Hmmm. Yes, this inspires confidence!

Anyway…

Stock pick of the day: Cyberonics (NASDAQ:CYBX)

Get on that gravy train before it leaves the station.

Chaos_Dynamics

ARPA to DARPA.

How did that ‘D’ get in there?

I appreciate the Intergalactic Computer Network…

Simiantongue

Newspeak. You know, like the War Department is now called the Department of Defense. The use of accepted language will help you to avoid cognitive dissonance. If you experience any of the following discontinue thinking until you can seek advice from a doctor.

The most interesting question for me about this research is whether or not it’ll all be locked up in DoD security restrictions, or if it’ll be possible for civilian researchers to get access to this. There are interesting non-military/mind control possibilities.

It could also give us a better idea of what safe brain implants require, handy for human augmentation research. Though in this context, I’m wondering increasingly if implants are really necessary for direct brain input/output.

Presumably to be enjoyed along with your artificial sweetener and decaff coffee, from Transylvania comes synthetic substitute blood, Medical Daily reports: Researchers from the Transylvanian city of Romania called Cluj-Napoca...